


heart of glass (heart of stone)

by tallycravens



Series: Motherland: Fort Salem Oneshots [7]
Category: Motherland: Fort Salem (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:07:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24825049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tallycravens/pseuds/tallycravens
Summary: Abigail Bellweather was hard, her stone heart encapsulated by walls reinforced with steel, protecting herself from potential harm. Comparatively, Tally Craven was just about as soft as one could get, and her glass heart was open for the taking...and unfortunately, also, the breaking.This isn’t that kind of love story. It never was as simple as that.
Relationships: Abigail Bellweather/Tally Craven
Series: Motherland: Fort Salem Oneshots [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1868044
Comments: 4
Kudos: 28





	heart of glass (heart of stone)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [momobamiyuki](https://archiveofourown.org/users/momobamiyuki/gifts).



> This is as canon as I could make it, hence the major character death tag, but this ALSO goes the way it does in the show. That's all I'll say about that. Thanks for reading!

Abigail Bellweather was hard, her stone heart encapsulated by walls reinforced with steel, protecting herself from potential harm. Comparatively, Tally Craven was just about as soft as one could get, and her glass heart was open for the taking...and unfortunately, also, the breaking.

This isn’t that kind of love story. It never was as simple as that. 

Tally had always believed in fairy tales, dreaming of her sweet prince who would sweep her off her feet. But life isn’t a fairy tale and things don’t usually turn out the way you wished they would when you were young. She knew that now. 

Sometimes, the person you fall for, doesn’t love you back. At least, not in the way you want. And nothing...nothing can prepare you for that kind of hurt.

As far as first meetings go, it hadn’t gone particularly well. Tally had arrived at Fort Salem with an enthusiastic bounce in her step and a smile on her face. She was ready to make the world a better place. Abigail showed up with a clenched jaw and a clenched fist, determined to stake her claim as the best.

Tally was sensitive, and the way that Abigail regarded her at the first meeting did hurt her feelings. She could still remember the way she had cried that night, curled up in her bunk trying to remind herself why she’d decided to conscript. 

Slowly, she grew closer to the girls in her unit and what started as a harmless crush on a talented fellow cadet bloomed into so much more. There was so much more to Abigail than met the eye. Underneath that hard exterior was something much softer, kinder. It was that part of Abigail that she fell for, because how could she not?

She had grown up on a matrifocal compound. No guys, ever. In many ways, it was a good thing. There was no war, for one. Tally didn’t even mind that much, because women were beautiful and soft. She spent more than a few late nights holding hands with her closest friend. Glory had been the first person she’d ever kissed. Her lips were sweet and Tally couldn’t get enough of her, but when she admitted she wanted more than illicit kisses stolen in the night, it became very clear that they had different intentions.

Glory intended to marry a man and what they had was nice, but just a bit of fun, she’d said. Tally had been crushed by the words, yet she also understood. There was so much of the world she hadn’t explored. That was part of the reason she chose to go to Fort Salem, even though she didn’t have to. She needed to experience new things and new people, learn more about herself and what she wanted.

She only had a small, inconsequential crush on Abigail when she met him. Gerit Buttonwood. He was handsome and sweet, the kind of prince that she’d always dreamed of. Everything was perfect and finally, she gave herself completely, making love to him and igniting a flame within her that would never burn out. But this new connection was severed as quickly as it was formed, crashing and burning when she discovered the truth he’d been hiding.

He was promised to another. Gerit had plenty of opportunities to tell her so, before she’d given to him her most precious gift, and when she saw him standing there at his handfasting ceremony, she could quite literally feel her heart breaking. 

She thought it was love. It was the closest she’d ever gotten. But it was just a lie, and she was left to try to pick up the pieces. Her friends were there to nurse her broken heart, to make stupid jokes so she could laugh again. Abigail’s strong arms held her many times as she cried, not caring that Tally’s tears had soaked her shirt. That’s how it all started, the feelings growing from a simple crush to something deeper and much, much more dangerous for her.

As she began to realize what she felt, Tally quite literally panicked. Abigail was sexually very open, and had proven so with the myriad of men that she’d brought back to their shared room, often many at once. But in all those times, and there were many, the only lovers Abigail ever had were men. They hadn’t talked about it, but it was becoming pretty clear that Abigail was not interested in having a relationship with another woman. Unfortunately for Tally, it was too little, too late.

She opened up to Raelle, trusting her enough not to say anything. Her friend echoed her sentiments, breaking it to her that she was pretty sure Abigail Bellweather was as straight as they come. But, she added, not unhelpfully, that she had been wrong before.

The more time she spent with Abigail, the more her heart ached for her. She saw the way she put so much pressure on herself, the way that being anything other than perfect wasn’t even an option. As far as Tally was concerned, she _was_ perfect. She loved her, but it was more than that. She admired her, looked up to her, and it was confusing how she wanted to both be with her and be like her, too.

Tally started getting distracted during training, nearly getting caught staring at Abigail’s lips on multiple occasions as she would fantasize about what it might be like to kiss her. Thankfully, Abigail seemed to remain clueless, and Raelle kept her secret close to her heart.

These feelings, though, were threatening to derail her, and Tally was in great need of distraction. She never thought she’d end up being “the other woman,” but she was drawn back into Gerit’s web, so desperate for some kind of connection that she lost herself in him, again.

Until it got **weird.**

She wouldn’t have been opposed to the idea if he’d just asked her, but the way that Gerit blindsided her with Hilary was gross and manipulative. Hilary was attractive and clearly was into her, or she wouldn’t have wanted to have a threesome, but Tally had been hurt once again by Gerit’s lies. It was the last straw for her. He was meant to be a distraction, but instead, he’d left her distracted, and once again reduced to tears.

Being hurt again was awful, but being in Abigail’s arms once more was the silver lining. She held her tightly as she cried, not just for Gerit, but for her, too. For the love she’d never be able to confess to. Falling for someone in her unit was stupid and careless. It could quite literally get her, or all of them, killed.

She could never speak the words aloud.

_Except she did._

The words just slipped out before she could stop herself. Abigail assumed that the love she spoke of was sisterly, but that couldn’t have been farther from the truth. She thought that hearing Abigail say that she loved her too, and knowing it wasn’t in the same way, was the worst heartbreak of all.

It wouldn’t be.

Neither would seeing Abigail with Adil, happy and loving as they chased each other’s mouths, sharing kiss after kiss until Tally had to excuse herself from the room completely.

No, the worst heartbreak was that day on the battlefield. The day she’d made the ultimate sacrifice, giving herself the way she’d always been taught to do, without hesitation. The day that she’d seen Abigail die.

As she was held back, she was forced to watch as Raelle and Abigail got smaller and smaller in the distance, their crumpled forms seared into her memory as she sobbed, her entire body shaking.

So this is what it felt to lose someone. She didn’t like it. Not at all.

She returned to her new home defeated, all of the life gone from her eyes, her spirit crushed. Her unit had been obliterated and in one fell swoop, she’d lost her best friend and the woman she loved. Tally knew then that she would never be the same.

Loving her and not having her was hard. But loving her and losing her was worse. She’d never again hear Abigail and Raelle have one of their snarky verbal skirmishes. Never again hold Abigail’s hand and feel her heart speed up. She’d never get the chance to tell her how she felt. Not that she’d ever meant to, but now, she couldn’t even if she wanted to.

Tally was a different person now than she’d been on that first day. She was harder, emptier. Nothing mattered anymore. She did as she was asked and nothing more. She was a shell of who she used to be. She didn’t even remember what it felt like to smile.

At least, not until that fateful morning…

She woke with a headache, her temples throbbing. Tally had learned to nurture her gift, but it had waned somewhat now that her spirit was broken. She wasn’t as strong as she used to be. She felt like the life was draining out of her, and that process had started the day she’d lost them.

Even so, she recognized the pain for what it was. An incoming vision. Nothing could have prepared her for what she was about to see. As her eyes snapped shut, she saw them plain as day. Abigail and Raelle, hand in hand. Alive.

It felt like a cruel joke. Maybe she was still sleeping and this was just a dream. But as she opened her eyes again, she was surrounded by biddies, and reminded that she was indeed awake.

Several weeks had passed since that day. The chapter had already been closed. Tally had seen them die, but their bodies were never recovered. She didn’t think that meant they were alive. She didn’t want to think about what it might mean. What could’ve happened to their bodies.

She needed to find them. They had already mourned, had funerals with empty caskets. She’d seen the way Abigail’s mother’s heart had broken, the way she looked at Tally like she wished it had been her who died. Tally didn’t blame her. She wished for that, too.

Now, she could bring them together again.

She’d do anything to see her face again. Anything.

Tally rose to shaky feet, pushing past the biddies, ignoring their questions as she sought Alder out, boldly declaring the contents of her vision. She had already proven herself to her. Proven her worth as a Knower by providing more than enough accurate information for her to know that she was telling the truth.

Yet she still thought her naive.

She stood her ground, insisting that Alder link with her so that she could see what she had. She owed her, and she was quick to remind her of that. As the general linked with her mind, she felt the unusual tickle of mental penetration, but kept her eyes closed as Alder watched the very vision she’d experienced moments prior. There could be no denying it now.

She could feel Alder go deeper, beyond the vision, and as forcefully as she could, she pushed her away, feeling violated. She hadn’t given her permission for anything but the vision. Tally didn’t know what she’d seen, or why she’d done it, but she was pissed.

“Goddess,” Alder remarked as the connection was severed. “When I thought you were troubled, Tally, I didn’t think that this was why.”

What had she seen? She wasn’t sure if she should ask. It was her own thoughts, though, and in a way, she was entitled to know what exactly Alder had stolen from her head.

Tally stared at her with wide eyes, trying to keep her face neutral, but her lower lip began to tremble under Alder’s probing gaze.

“What do you mean?”

Alder motioned for her to sit down and she took a seat at her desk, her sharp gaze unwavering, making Tally shift uncomfortably in her seat. While she had stood up to General Alder more than once, she was still scared of her beneath it all, just like the rest of the biddies.

“I thought I sensed something when I was watching your vision. I apologize for violating you in the way that I did, but I needed to know, and now I do.” 

Her response was vague and it told her nothing. Tally was growing frustrated and she could feel her face heating up, a reminder that she was close to boiling over. 

“What do you know? You have to tell me, since you helped yourself to my innermost thoughts,” Tally spat, her arms crossed to her chest as she shot daggers at the general with her eyes.

A slow smile came to Alder’s face. Tally was pretty sure that she’d never seen her smile before. It felt a bit sinister.

“Your love for Abigail Bellweather.”

Oh.

_That._

She clenched her jaw and lifted her brows, challenging the centuries old witch to dare tease her. “You had no right.”

To that, Alder nodded in agreement. “You’re correct. But I did it anyway and I’m glad that I did. Do you want to know why?”

“...maybe.”

The general chuckled, running the tip of her slender finger along the rim of her whiskey glass. “What do you remember about that day? Specifically, what did you do when you saw your unit die in front of you?”

“I...cried?”

“Yes,” she praised gently, a hint of a smile still present on her lips. “They did die. We saw that happen. But you cried over them, and your tears...I suspect that they are part of the reason why they’re alive now. It may not be the only reason. Bellweather and Collar are powerful, beyond what even they know. The three of you were chosen as a unit for a reason. The perfect balance. Perfect love. Perfect trust. This connection the three of you have is once in a lifetime. I had hoped it wouldn’t be broken that easily. It seems to me that once again, I am right.”

She looked so pleased with herself, but Tally couldn’t even be angry about it because she was focused on her words and what they meant. She didn’t know how they’d chosen the units, only that there was an extensive process. How could anyone have known what they would be capable of?

“You’re saying my tears brought them back to life?”

“No, not your tears,” Alder corrected firmly, “Your love for them.”

Tally smiled sadly, wiping away a stray tear before she lifted her head, jaw clenched as she asked, “What now?”

What would happen next, is that they would find them. Alder knew more than ever how powerful and how useful the Bellweather unit would be. She promised if they were reunited, she would return Tally to her formerly youthful self and find a new volunteer to replace her.

It was no easy task. They enlisted the help of many, creating a search party led by Tally herself. Roaming the same lands where they’d had their final battle, they fanned out, even flying overhead to see if they spotted them. 

Minutes turned to hours, hours into days. But Tally wasn’t going to lose hope, not this time. 

When they finally found them, Abigail & Raelle were barely recognizable. Asleep curled up together in a cave, their hair was matted, skin covered in dirt, clothes torn. They looked more than a little worse for wear.

But to Tally, they were more beautiful than they’d ever been. Because they were alive, and that was the only thing that mattered.

Before she approached them, she cashed in on General Alder’s promise. She could feel her skin getting smoother, more supple as she aged backward, and within minutes, looked just the way she had the day that Abigail died. Alder was taking another volunteer, but she didn’t stay to watch.

Tally entered the cave carefully, grateful she had the opportunity to go in first. She was already crying as she knelt down between them, taking one of their hands in each of hers.

Slowly, they began to stir. Raelle opened her eyes first, and at the sight of her, she burst into tears. Then came Abigail. Tally let go of Raelle’s hand, giving her an apologetic look before she met Abigail’s gaze, looking into the deep brown eyes she never thought she’d see again.

“Tally?”

Her name never sounded sweeter.

“Is it really you?”

They were both dehydrated and Tally grabbed two water flasks from her pack, handing them each one of them. She received two very grateful looks before they drained the flasks in moments. Raelle slowly got to her feet and started out of the entrance of the cave, giving Tally a much needed private moment with Abigail.

Despite the fact that she was a Knower, she didn’t pretend to know what was going to happen. It didn’t matter to her now if Abigail never returned her feelings. She had the opportunity to show her how much she loved her while she was still alive. Anything else was meaningless.

She didn’t give her a warning before she brought her lips to hers, soft and slow. Abigail’s body straightened up and for a moment, Tally thought she was about to pull away. But then her fingers slid into red locks and she was kissing her back, mouth hot against hers.

She didn’t even realize that she was crying until Abigail broke the kiss, licking her lips and tasting tears.

“Why are you crying, beautiful?” She whispered, cradling Tally’s head in her hands.

“Because I love you, so much…”

Abigail smiled. What a beautiful smile it was. It was the kind of smile that people wrote love songs about. 

“Oh, Tally. I _know_.”

But before Tally could say anything, Abigail was kissing her again, pinning her up against the cave wall as her tongue begged entrance, slipping easily between her lips. Her entire body was on fire, stemming from her belly and spreading between her thighs. She’d almost forgotten what it felt like to want someone so much.

“I love you, too,” Abigail whispered after they broke apart, desperate for air but not putting much distance between them. “In case you didn’t know.”

Ever clueless, even after the heated kisses they’d just shared, she couldn’t help but ask.

“Love me how?”

At that, she chuckled, the sound low and almost crackly in her throat. “In every single way, Tally. How could I not?”

It didn’t feel real. She’d told herself for so long that this was a pipe dream, that the most she could ever have with Abigail was a deep friendship. But her words, they said something else entirely. “Really?”

“Yes, really. Don’t be mad at Rae, but she told me everything. We thought we’d never see you again. It’s...been rough. We weren’t entirely sure we would make it. So Raelle told me how you’ve been feeling, and how you were too scared to tell me. Why were you so scared, anyway?”

“Have you met you? You’re the great Abigail Bellweather, and I’m just…”

“The incredible, beautiful, kind hearted Tally Craven. Yes. I know,” she grinned, her thumb running reverently along Tally’s bottom lip, making her shiver. “I wish you would’ve said something.”

She had to ask the question she was afraid to ask. She couldn’t bear not knowing, even if the truth would break her heart in two. 

Nervously, she muttered, “But what about Adil?”

“Adil and I don’t have this kind of connection. It’s...not comparable. At all.” Upon hearing this, her heart thumped loudly, painfully, in her chest.

The redhead licked her lips, tongue swiping against Abigail’s thumb in the process. “So, what does this mean?”

Abigail wasn’t going to make it easy for her. Because she was Abigail and she liked seeing Tally squirm.

“What do you want it to mean?”

It was on Tally to make the decision, to finally be brave enough to go after she wanted. If Abigail had been feeling this way, she didn’t understand why she hadn’t said anything. She had always been outspoken about literally everything else. She’d have to ask her about that later. Because right now, there was only one thing to say.

“I want to be yours.”

With a sweet smile, Abigail took her hand and linked their fingers carefully together, her gaze fixed on hers, unwavering. “Then you are.”

“What?”

“Oh, my goddess, Tally, really? Do I have to spell it out for you?” She tightened her hold on her hand and kissed her again, laughing softly against her mouth. “You are mine and I am yours. Got it?”

She pressed her forehead against Abigail’s, trying to maintain her gaze even as she struggled to catch her breath. As she got lost in her eyes, her words echoed in her mind over and over.

If this was a dream, it was the best one she’d ever had.

“Got it.”

It wasn’t a dream.

  
It was so, so, _so_ much better.  
  
  



End file.
